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San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 1
2018 Club Officers* President
*Brian Jones ……………….. 408 300 3377
Vice President
*David Occhipinti ………… 408 723 0122
Secretary
*Stan Flowerdew ………….. 408 378 5550
Treasurer
*Jim Steinwinder …..……… 408 644 4090
Webmaster/Newsletter
Jim Steinwinder ……….….. 408 644 4090
Blog
Ron Biell ………..….……. 408 323 8702
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Filatelic Fiesta
Chairwoman
Jessica Rodriguex …….. 408 656 0623
Bourse Chairman
Ryan Wellmaker ……... 618-231-1860
Exhibits Chairman
Nestor Nunez …………. 415-290-3044
Club Website
www.sanjosesc.com
Club Blog
www.sjscblog.net
Filatelic Fiesta Website www.filatelicfiesta.com
Correspondence:
San Jose Stamp Club
PO Box 730993
San Jose, CA 95173
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the San Jose Stamp
Club on Facebook
Happy Holidays
Thanksgiving has passed and we are now in the Christmas season followed by
New Year. Everyone is busy with shopping and planning for the time when the
family gets together. I look forward to seeing my family, one of the few times
when everyone is together. But I also take time to reflect on the past year and
set some goals for the New Year.
I think as a club we should also reflect on what we have accomplished in 2018
and set some goals for 2019. Let’s first review 2018,
The club has added new members.
We have improved the mailing list by working the Napredak show. We
are tracking both attendance and frequency so that we can better target
our mailings in the future.
We have made some inroads on the donations backlog.
We have developed a new Tri-Fold brochure for the club in place of the
old handout.
We had another good Summer Picnic with the San Jose Postcard Club.
We acquired 50 additional frames from the Fresno Stamp club. This
will allow us to swap out and sell or scrap our broken and odd frames.
We implemented a raffle voucher for attendees of the Napredak shows.
They received them when they registered and said they would possibly
attend Filatelic Fiesta. We had 2 drawings at Fiesta worth 25.00 for
attendees of Napredak that brought their voucher to Fiesta.
We completed the incorporation of Filatelic Fiesta as a California Non
Profit Corporation. A new board is in place and active. The “Filatelic
Fiesta” name is protected and controlled by the San Jose Stamp club.
We had another successful Filatelic Fiesta with a lot of positive
feedback from both attendees and dealers. The club sales was very
good and we had an arrangement with the WPL to share proceeds from
their auction in place of having our own auction.
We acquired a complete set of Scott catalogues for use by the club
members.
We had a number of great presentations by guests and club members.
Continued on page 8
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 2
Table of Contents
Page 3 Watermarking
4 Global Rate Poinsettia Stamp
5 Postal History
9 Toys on Stamps
10 America’s Great Souvenir Sheets
12 Stamp Collecting Books for Christmas
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Club Blog & Website
Blog Updates: No Activity
Website Updates
Minutes of the 10/17/18 club meeting uploaded
November 2018 Newsletter uploaded.
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Remember the dates!
Dec 1-2 PENPEX (Redwood City)
Dec 5 San Jose Stamp Club Meeting
Dec 12 SJSC/SJPC Christmas Dinner
No Second Meeting this month – Christmas
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Presidents Message
When I host Boy Scout stamp collecting merit badge classes, I
always encourage the parents to stay. I consistently hear them
comment: “Wow, I thought stamp collecting had a lot of rules,
don’t you have to use a stamp album?” When I talk about how
the only hard rule is to preserve your material by handling it the
right way, there is a look of disbelieve. I bring this up as it is
symptomatic of what is wrong with the hobby today. Far too
many people think our hobby is full of strict rules and,
therefore, boring.
Those of us already involved in philately, know that there is a
wide variety of ways and what to collect and doesn’t have to be
boring. Our mistake is that we’ve let this perception become
pervasive. This has happened as the hobby shrank from its glory
days, we became focused on ourselves. Historically, there has
been almost no effort to show the general public the fun and
rewards of collecting stamps.
Don’t misunderstand, I still enjoy and participate in old
fashioned “boring” collecting with my Scott National Album.
I love filling in that last stamp of a set or completing a page.
I’m not suggesting there is anything wrong with traditional
collecting. In fact, I urge people to consider it when collecting
a country. My US collection is the first thing I’d grab if I ever
had to evacuate my home. I can always buy more clothes, but
I’ve put a LOT of effort in building my collection and would
save it first (ok, second after my wife).
Our hobby could have a major renaissance if more people saw
the potential of the opportunities of being open to more
creativity in collecting. The use of scrapbooking materials and
integration of non-philatelic items would create new realms of
collecting. For example, I’ve been collecting both philatelic and
family items around my roots in Lisbon New York. This
includes real photo postcards, covers from the local post offices,
maps, and other ephemera. I want to create a collection that
integrates the story of my father’s family in a small dairy town
with the history of the town. I don’t care if it will ever be
exhibited in an APS judged show as it would never meet their
standards. The point is to make the collection fit my vision and
not be handcuffed by rules. What materials and how they are
used should be up to the individual. Colorful paper, decorative
elements like washi tape, use of rubber stamps, decretive
ribbon, and embellishments can facilitate fun and creativity.
Perhaps shows in the future will have exhibits that are judged
for “Most Creative”, “Best Use of Color”, “Best integration of
philatelic materials” among other fun categories. I hope the
serious exhibits continue as they represent a tremendous part of
what is great about this hobby. However, encouraging creativity
is the best way I can see to put a jolt of life into philately.
I know this flies against many long-standing traditions for
experienced philatelists. However, continuing on the current
path will lead to a withering death of philately as too few new
collectors start as many die off. While what I propose is
different than the way we were taught, would it really be so bad
to see a new generation start? As I said at the beginning,
teaching new collectors how to handle their stamps and covers
is “Step #1”. Also, if collectors start using 12”x12” scrap
booking paper (plain white or any of the thousands of colors
and patterns), this larger size solves a lot of the problems with
mounting postal history on traditional pages.
Anybody who is interested in developing a collection that
shows your fun and creative side, I’d love to hear from you. I’m
going to try to put something together for my Lisbon NY
materials and I’d love to hear the input of others.
Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I hope to
see you at the annual Christmas Party on Dec 12th. Don’t forget
there is no club meeting on Dec 19th.
Brian
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 3
Watermarking
By Peter Mosiondz, Jr.
With early United States stamps, a watermark can be the
difference between a common stamp and a very valuable
one.
Watermarks can be words, letters or symbols all worked
into the stamp paper during its manufacture. This was
done as a security measure to deter counterfeiting. For the
regular stamp issues of the United States we are
concerned with the single line watermark USPS or the
same in double line format.
There are two primary ways to determine whether or not
a stamp is on watermarked paper without using a piece of
equipment to do so;
1) Holding the stamp up to a light source with the gum
side towards you and by looking at it in this fashion. This
procedure works especially well with the stamps of Great
Britain and her former colonies.
2) Using a small watermarking tray and the proper kind
of fluid.
The second method is the one used by most collectors of
United States stamps. Ideally, the watermark tray should
be a small, shallow black glass dish. Glass is chemically
inert, so therefore the fluid used will not affect it adversely
as can easily occur with plastic or painted metal. Place the
stamp face down in the dish and then cover it with the
watermark fluid. There are several types of fluid
available.
Fluid comprised chiefly of benzene, and in use for well
over a century, has all but vanished from the philatelic
scene. Its two detriments are that it is highly inflammable
(meaning it can catch on fire very quickly) and very toxic.
One must use it only in a highly ventilated area and never
near a source of heat. Some of us old-timers still refer to
it as the “old-fashioned” watermark fluid. If you come
across some and decide to use it, exercise extreme caution
according to the guidelines presented.
A newer and benzene-free solution is available from
several philatelic supply sources which are nationally
advertised in the stamp weeklies. I use the G&K product.
Not only is it safe for most stamps, it will also remove
self-stick stamps and tape from paper. Precautions include
never using it near a source of fire or heat. Good
ventilation is also suggested. This formula contains
heptane, a member of the methane family. An added
bonus to the G&K version is that it comes in a very handy
squeeze bottle with a flip-up nozzle, thus assuring that
waste will be minimal.
Lighter fluid can be used as well, however be sure to
follow all of the safety precautions that have already been
presented.
Carbon tetrachloride, commonly called “carbona”, is
perhaps the safest of the watermarking fluids that I am
aware of since it cannot catch on fire, nor is there any fear
of vapor explosion. As to disadvantages these include a
toxic and unpleasant odor and a significantly longer
drying time. In addition it is known to attack certain color
dyes on stamps. If you are going to use this fluid,
experiment first on some cheap and common stamps.
Another caveat for benzene and lighter fluid is that they
do not work very well on photogravure stamps or those
printed with fugitive inks.
Always store your watermark fluid in a cool dry place and
out of the grasp of children. (Very important!) Most
importantly, heed all of the safety precautions presented.
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 4
Global Rate Poinsettia stamp
On July 24, the U.S. Postal Service announced that a
new Global Rate Poinsettia stamp would be among
the numerous holiday-related issues to be released
this year, as noted in a July 25 APS blog post
(Festivals and Flowers Usher in Second Quartet of
2018 US Holiday Stamps).
The USPS has announced August 27 as the
nationwide date of issue for what it now terms its
“Blossoming Poinsettia” stamp. As with all Global
Forever stamps, this stamp will have a postage value
equivalent to the price of the single-piece First-Class
Mail International 1-ounce machineable letter in
effect at the time of use (currently $1.15). These
stamps also can be used on domestic mail.
The circular stamp features an image of a poinsettia
from above, displaying the beauty of its green leaves,
red bracts and yellow flowers. As much a part of
December’s holiday season as evergreens and
mistletoe. poinsettias are sold in the U.S. by the tens
of millions each year.
The art director for this stamp was William J. Gicker.
Greg Breeding designed the stamp with an existing
photograph by Betsy Pettet.
Poinsettias first blossomed on US postage 54 years
ago, with a 5-cent green, carmine and black
Christmas stamp in 1964 (Scott 1256). Since then,
they have been showcased on a Season’s Greetings
stamp in 1985 (Scott 2166), and on a host of Forever-
rate (46-cent) booklet stamps released October 10-11,
2013 (Scott 4815-16, 4821).
Customers have 120 days to obtain first-day-of-issue
postmarks by mail by affixing the stamps to
envelopes they choose, addressing the envelopes to
themselves or others and placing them in larger
stamped envelopes addressed to:
FDOI – Global Poinsettia Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the
Postal Service will return the envelopes through the
mail. There is no charge for postmarks up to a
quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers are
charged 5 cents each. All orders must be postmarked
by December 26, 2018.
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San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 5
Postal history
Pre-stamp 1628 lettersheet opened up showing folds,
address and seal, with letter being written on the obverse
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they
operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and
covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating
historical episodes in the development of postal systems.
The term is attributed to Robson Lowe, a professional
philatelist, stamp dealer and stamp auctioneer, who made
the first organised study of the subject in the 1930s and
described philatelists as "students of science", but postal
historians as "students of humanity". More precisely,
philatelists describe postal history as the study of rates,
routes, markings, and means (of transport).
A collecting speciality
Postal history has become a philatelic collecting
speciality in its own right. Whereas traditional philately is
concerned with the study of the stamps per se, including
the technical aspects of stamp production and distribution,
philatelic postal history refers to stamps as historical
documents; similarly re postmarks, postcards, envelopes
and the letters they contain. Postal history can include the
study of postal rates, postal policy, postal administration,
political effects on postal systems, postal surveillance and
the consequences of politics, business, and culture on
postal systems; basically anything to do with the function
of the collection, transportation and delivery of mail. The
specialized area of philatelic history defines postal history
as the study of rates charged for postal services provided,
routes followed and special handling of letters. Areas of
special interest include disrupted or transitional periods,
such as wars and military occupations, and mail to remote
areas.
The philatelic-based definition of the term developed as
the discipline developed. Philatelic students discovered
that understanding and authentication of stamps depended
on knowing why postal authorities issued particular
stamps, where they were used and how. For instance, a
stamp apparently used before any other stamp of its type
could be proved a forgery if it was postmarked at a
location known not to have received any stamps until a
later date.
Much information is still not known about the workings
of postal systems, and millions of old covers have
survived, constituting a rich field of "artifacts" for
analysis.
Possible areas of study
In studying or collecting any postal history subject some
overlap is inevitable because it is impossible to separate
the different areas that affect the mail from one another;
transportation, rates, geography and subject are all
intertwined, but the emphasis remains different
depending on the chosen topic. The postal history topics
described below are some of the better known and popular
topics.
Geographically based studies
Regional studies are typically based on a
geographical area, such as countries of origin,
native districts, cities, towns or villages, places
associated with family roots, or workplaces. In
the past collectors usually based their studies on
"mail from," but "mail to" and "mail through" a
place expand the postal service story because
outgoing mail mainly shows marking associated
with the areas of study while incoming mail tells
a much broader story and are now more likely to
be included. It is best to select a topic to study that is broad enough because narrow
geographical boundaries will likely bring
frustration due to the lack of material available.
Examples are: Postal History of Brünn 1638-
1875, and Private and Foreign Post Offices in St.
Thomas.
Continued on next page
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 6
Postal History continued…
Postal routes are alternate geographical based
study areas that provide great variety due to the
many places and services available along a route.
For instance; a study of the Thurn und Taxis route
from Antwerp to Florence via Mantua would
include much of the early postal history of
Western Europe and the Postal History of the
First Transcontinental Railroad can show a good
range of stamps, stationery, and associated
marking across 3,000 miles that started in 1869.
The era for a geographical based study can add dimension
depending on the services available or the changes that
took place. The period should seek to tell a complete story
and not limit the chosen topic.
Transportation based studies
First flight cover for Nassau to Miami
airmail route in 1929
Zeppelin mail from Gibraltar to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
via Berlin on the Christmas flight (12th South American
flight) of 1934.
Aerophilately specialises in the study of
airmail. Philatelists observe the development of
mail transport by air from its beginning, and most
aspects of airmail service have been extensively
studied and documented by specialists, some of
which are individually listed. Crash covers,
Imperial Airways Empire route mail to Australia
and South Africa, CAM (Contract Air Mail) or
FAM (Foreign Air Mail) routes to and from the
United States are a few topics.
Balloon mail was employed during the Siege of
Paris to get mail out of the city during the Franco-
Prussian War in 1870. Balloons can be both
manned and unmanned but balloon mail is not a
common form of mail transport.
Maritime mail is a theme that offers a wide
variety of possibilities. Study of a particular
shipping line like, Cunard, P & O, Danube
steamers, South American packets or American
steamboat mail are a few options as are; Ship
Letter marks, mail between a mother country and
its colonies or mail between two countries
separated by seas or oceans. Many ships applied
their own endorsements so collecting examples of
all ships of a particular shipping line can be
aspired to. Maiden voyages and wreck covers are
very desirable. Maritime mail rates changed
frequently and occasionally varied for different
shipping lines over the same route that could be
due to treaty changes or arguments between
countries that involved retaliatory rates. Naval
mail can also fall in the Military mail category
and are also known to apply identifying
endorsements or postmarks.
Railway mail refers to mail carried partly, or
fully, by rail transport from its inception in 1830
between Liverpool and Manchester in the UK
until its decline in the late 20th century that
include Railway letter stamped mail, TPO and
RPO handstamps, instructional handstamps or
manuscript notations, or even the First
Transcontinental Railroad (also mentioned as a
geographic study above).
Rocket mail is the delivery of mail by rocket or
missile and is a specialised collecting area of
aerophilately called Astrophilately. One of the
early famous rocketeers was Stephen Smith, a
Secretary of the Indian Airmail Society, who
launched 270 rockets between 1934 and 1944 of
which 80 contained mail. Other topics for
consideration are: USPS rocket mail from 1936
or 1959 launches, Russian submarine-launched
rocket mail, or reusable launch vehicle mail.
Continued on next page
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 7
Postal History continued…
Zeppelin mail is a popular topic for the mail
carried on the German Zeppelin airships between
1908 and 1939. Much mail exists because up to
12 tons was carried on each flight. Mail from
within Germany and from the several trans-
Atlantic flights are extant however mail from the
famous Hindenburg disaster are very scarce.
Subject based studies
Postal censorship of 1940 civil cover from Madrid to
Paris opened by both Spanish and French (Vichy)
authorities.
Bavarian postal stationery postcard used from
Nuremberg to Munich in 1895.
1834 pre-adhesive mail with Wittingen straight-line
town handstamp to Ebsdorf.
Express mail is an accelerated delivery service
for which the customer pays a surcharge and
receives faster delivery. Haste Poste Haste letters
of the 17th century can be considered precursors
of modern Express mail as was the Pony Express
mail.[12] The service for domestic mail is
governed by a country's own postal
administration but since 1998 the international
accelerated delivery services are governed by the
EMS Cooperative of the Universal Postal Union
(UPU). Studies of domestic, or international
express mail are possible as are studies of the
Express mail rates.
Marcophily is the study of postmarks,
cancellation and postal markings applied by hand
or machine. Though not strictly speaking a postal
history topic can be collected as such. It offers
vast areas to select a topic for study or collection
as the marcopholist is more interested in the
details, style and design of the markings than the
reason why and where a letter was sent. Large
cities that have many post offices offer great
study opportunities due to the vast range of
handstamps or machine cancellations in use over
any time period.
Military mail is mail associated with any of the
armed services or peacekeeping forces, or formed
around any particular military campaign, like the
First and Second Opium Wars, Spanish Civil
War, World War I and II, or even the recent
conflicts in Afghanistan or Iraq. Covers mailed
from navy vessels are also widely sought, the
cover usually having a distinctive postmark
bearing the ship's name and date of mailing, the
date often being of particular historical
significance and interest. Many older letters from
these sources, when available, provide insight
into the conditions of the people involved.
Parcel post is perhaps the least collected, or
studied, area of postal history due to the size of
potential material much of which is never saved.
From 1883 Special labels were applied to parcels
in Great Britain. International parcels handling
tend to gather Customs evidence making for
attractive material.
Postal censorship, both overt and covert, has
been performed on mail long before the World
Wars of the 20th century and can include both
civil and military censorship. It has mainly taken
place during times of conflict though has also
been performed during other times like; periods
of civil disorder or a state of emergency. An
example of covert postal censorship is the
Cabinet noir.
Continued on next page
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 8
Postal History continued…
Postal rates are an extensive area of study that
can be made by country, time period,[14] or even
currency. Postal rates were often set bilaterally,
by postal conventions between nations, such as
the 1817 and 1837 postal treaties between France
and Prussia, and the 1847 and 1853 conventions
between the United States and Bremen (a city-
state at the time).[15] Stamp collectors may study
the rates in effect during the time of issue of the
postage stamps they collect thereby augmenting
their collections.
Postal stationery are mailable products, issued
by postal authorities, such as envelopes, letter
sheets, postcards, lettercards, aerograms or
wrappers, on which the amount of postage has
usually been pre-printed with an imprinted stamp
or indicium, at the rate required for a particular
postal service.[16] Postal stationery is generally
sold at post offices. Each stationery type can be
an area of study in its own right but can also be
studied by country or by time period. Studies of
mint (unused) postal stationery are considered to
be traditional philately, while studies of how
postal stationery was used are considered to be
postal history.
Pre-adhesive mail also called pre-stamp
mail is mail used before the issuance of the
Penny Black and Two pence Blue stamps on 6
May 1840 in the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, and in other countries, mail
used prior to the postal authority adopting their
own adhesive labels. The material can range from
court and government letters before official
public mail services to distinctive town-marks
worldwide.
Prisoner-of-war mail can be a subcategory of
either, or both, Military mail or Postal censorship.
Registered mail are often used to mail items, or
documents, considered valuable and need a chain
of custody that provides more control than
regular mail. The letters have their details
recorded in a register to enable their location to
be tracked and offer many distinctive
handstamps. Many countries have issued special
postal stationery for Registered mail expanding
the possible areas being studied beyond regular
registered letters. Earlier similar services were
known as Money Letters
Reflections continued from page 1…
Our support of the Boy Scouts with the merit
badge workshop and the annual Scout Expo was
very successful.
Our website was very successful showcasing the
club. We have received a number of “Thank
You” emails for the Links page. We have also
received donations and inquires about joining the
club thru people finding the club contact
information on the website.
This list of accomplishments and ongoing programs the
club conducts is impressive, especially given the size of
the club. There is room for improvement, but in general
the club should be proud of what we did in 2018.
2018 is coming to an end and we need to collectively set
some goals for 2019. The task of deciding what the
priorities and goals for 2019 will be is a group effort, but
I will offer some suggestions,
1. As a new California Non Profit Corporation,
Filatelic Fiesta is exempt from taxes for the first
year. I think the effort should be made to
establish Filatelic Fiesta as a tax free corporation
as well as completing the paperwork to make it a
501c3. Doing this will save the corporation from
paying the minimum corporation tax of 800.00 a
year.
2. While we have made inroads into the donations
backlog, we have a long way to go. We should
increase our efforts to bring this problem under
control.
3. I think we need to increase our joint efforts to
recruit new members.
4. While the show was very successful, I think we
should have under-studies for all the key
positions on the show committee. Spreading the
knowledge on how to conduct a successful show
is key to the future of the show.
Put your thinking cap on and come up with some more
suggestions on how we make 2019 more successful than
2018. With all the knowledge and experience we have in
our club there is no reason we can’t
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 9
Make V-ROOOOM! For Iconic Toys on Stamps – UPDATE
A half-century ago in 1968, a Mattel toy
innovator, a car designer and a rocket scientist
combined to create a fast and furious fantasy cars
that became famous as Hot Wheels. This year, to
mark their 50th anniversary, the U.S. Postal
Service will uncage 20 Forever stamps
showcasing some of the most outrageous Hot
Wheels cars for fans and racers of all ages.
A self-adhesive pane of 20 stamps in diagonal
rows showcase photographer Len Rizzi’s images
of 10 Hot Wheels cars — two of each design —
speeding along a bright orange track. Each
displays the name of the vehicle, “USA” and
“Forever,” with the Hot Wheels logo in the top
corner of the pane, and the 50th anniversary logo
on the back of the pane.
The miniature Hot Wheels depicted are: Purple Passion (1990); Rocket-Bye-Baby (1971); Rigor Motor (1994); Rodger
Dodger (1974); Mach Speeder (2018); The Twin Mill (1969); Bone Shaker (2006); HW40 (2008); Deora II (2000); and
The Sharkruiser (1987).
Greg Breeding designed the stamps and was the typographer, and William J. Gicker was the project’s art director. The
stamps will be dedicated during a first-day-of-issue ceremony Saturday, September 29, at the Goodguys 26th Summit
Racing Lone Star Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas. Followers of the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook page can view the
ceremony live at facebook.com/USPS.
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 10
America's great Souvenir Sheets
By Percy Doane
When the Second International Philatelic Exhibition opened in New York City’s Grand Central Palace on October
16, 1926, not only was America’s largest ever stamp exhibition being unveiled, but also a major philatelic
tradition: the souvenir sheet. That 1926 “White Plains” souvenir sheet, containing 25 copies of the Battle of White
Plains Sesquicentennial Issue, is our country’s most famous of such sheets—and the one that ushered in a
philatelic craze that continues today.
Today, of course, souvenir sheets come out in
droves each year from practically every stamp-
issuing entity in the world. Lots of collectors
pursue them, but to me, the most interesting are
the ones issued in the early days of such
emissions. Like the Admiral Bird sheet from
the 1934 National Philatelic Exhibition, or the
special souvenir sheet issued by the U.S. Post
Office Department’s traveling philatelic truck in
1939. Souvenir sheets have been produced for
all sorts of events (mostly stamp shows in the
early days), and some of them are so striking
they are excellent show-stoppers for attracting
the attention of non-collectors.
Many souvenir sheets cause what might be called a
philatelic pheeding phrenzy! Take, for instance, the
United Nations 10th Anniversary souvenir sheet from
1955. At first, only 200,000 of them were printed, but
the demand became so high, the U.N. Postal
Administration printed 50,000 more. They rose in value
from 15 cents to over $10.00 in a matter of weeks—and
even higher into the coming years. And collectors
pursued both the first and second printings because there
were tiny differences between the two.
Souvenir sheets remain popular because, with rare
exceptions, they are still fairly cheap. Go out and get a
White Plains SS and get started off on the right foot!
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 11
America’s 100 Greatest Stamps
#61 – Scott 1X2 1847 5 Cent Alexandria Blue Boy
#60 – Scott RM19 1766 British Revenue Stamp
#59 – Scott 278 1895 $5 John Marshall
Club Member/Dealers
Richard Clever
Asia Philatelics
P.O. Box 730993, San Jose, CA 95173-0993
Phone: (408) 238-0893 Fax: (408) 238-2539
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.asiaphilatelics.com
(China, Asia, Ireland, Japan)
Ron Biell
Euro-Asian Stamps
P.O. Box 20562, San Jose, CA 95160
Phone: (408) 323-8702 Fax: 408) 323-8702
Email: [email protected]
Web Site: www.eurasiastamps.com
(China, Japan, Baltics, Russia, W. Europe, Covers
Worldwide)
Doug Gary
Douglas Gary
P.O. Box 457, Campbell, CA 95009
Phone: (408) 274-3939
Email: [email protected]
(USA & Worldwide Postal History, Stamps,
Autographs, Postcards)
Deepak Jaiswal
The India Specialist
PO Box 50848, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone: (650) 387-3885 Fax: (650) 561-4044
Email: [email protected]
(India)
Walt Kransky
Walts Postcards
www.thepostcard.com
Email: [email protected]
(philatelic material, covers, postcards)
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
________________________________________________________________________________
Page 12
General Interest Stamp Collecting Books (for Christmas)
Updated November 27, 2018 - from Brian Jones
Non-Fiction
Title Author Publisher / Date List Price / ISBN
The One-Cent Magenta James Barron Algonquin Books $23.95
Inside the Quest to Own the Most 03/07/2017 9781616205188
Valuable Stamp in the World
How the Post Office Created America: Winfield Gallagher Penguin Publishing $28.00
A History 06/28/2016 9781594205002
Neither Snow Nor Rain Devin Leonard Grove Atlantic $26.00
A History of the US Postal Service 05/05/2016 9780802124586
Every Stamp Tells a Story Cheryl Ganz Smithsonian $29.95
Institution Press 9781935623427
12/02/2014
A History of America in 36 Chris West Picador $28.00
Postage Stamps 10/28/2014 9781250043689
An American History Album Michael Worek Firefly Books $29.95
The Story of the US Told Through Stamps 09/25/2012 97817708551207
Blue Mauritius: The Hunt For the Helen Morgan Atlantic Books $16.95
World’s Most Valuable Stamps 04/01/2009 9781843544364
Guide to Stamp Collecting Janet Klug Harper Perennial $xx.xx
April 1, 2008 9780061341397
100 Greatest American Stamps Janet Klug & Whitman Publishing $29.95
Don Sundman 10/30/2007 9780794822484
Non-Fiction Book Comments:
Inspector Oldfield and the Black Hand Society: This book tells the story of the creation of the Postal
Inspector’s office. The inspection service started with the need to stop corruption and the use of the mail for
crime by an early form of the mafia known as the “Black Hand Society”.
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
________________________________________________________________________________
Page 13
How the Post Office Created America: The book is not only a history of the Post Office, but the cultural
changes that resulted from it. The ability to communicate across a vast country was an engine for change. The
Post Office was foundational institution and influenced a great many aspects of life.
Neither Snow nor Rain: Follows the history and development of the USPS from Ben Franklin to modern times.
It is more focused on the Postal Service than “How the Post Office Created America” with lots of stories about
unusual things being put the mail.
Fiction
Title Author Publisher / Date List Price / ISBN-13
Keller’s Fedora Lawrence Block Subterranean Press $25.00
May 2017
Hit Me Lawrence Block Mulholland Books $26.99
February 12, 2013 9780316127356
Hit and Run Lawrence Block William Morrow $24.95
June 24, 2008 9780060840907
Hit Parade Lawrence Block William Morrow $24.95
July 3, 2006 9780060840884
Hit List Lawrence Block William Morrow $24.95
October 24, 2000 9780060198336
Hit Man Lawrence Block William Morrow $22.00
January 21, 1998 9780688141790
One Penny Orange Mystery Morris Ackerman CreateSpace Pub. $14.80
08/19/2011 9781461184669
McNally’s Secret Lawrence Saunders Putnam Press $17.50
01/16/1992 978-0399136757
Fiction Book Comments:
The One Cent Magenta: An excellent history of the 1c British Guiana focusing on each owner and how they
contributed to the stamps legend. There is also a nice history of British Guiana and early postal history. Slight
undertone of condescension towards stamp collectors as the book is written by a NY Times writer and not a
collector.
San Jose Stamp Club
APS Chapter 0264-025791 Founded 1927, Club show since 1928 December 2018
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Page 14
“Keller Series” by Lawrence Block: Jack Keller is a contract killer whose special talent is finding creative ways
to complete his work so as to throw off suspicion. Included in Jack’s travels are stops at local retail stamp
shops and auctions. He collects stamps from around the world and wants only high quality stamps for his
collection. While books about murder are not typical for this reader, it is a LOT of fun to enjoy all the philatelic
references. Also, with the creative ways Jack Keller completes his assignment, adds to fun.
Youth
Title Author Publisher / Date List Price / ISBN-13
It Came in the Mail Ben Clanton Simon & Schuster $18.00
Age: 4 - 8 June 21, 2016 9781481403603
Special Delivery Philip C. Stead Roaring Brook Press $17.99
March 0. 2015 9781596439313
Letters to Leo Amy Hest Candlewick Press $6.99
Age: 8 – 12 Reprint 9780763671655
Stanley the Mailman William Bee Peachtree Publishers $14.95
Age: 4 – 7 March 1, 2016 9781561458677
Herman’s Letter Tom Percival Bloomsbury USA $17.99
Age: 3 – 6 November 11, 2014 9781619634237
The Jolly Christmas Postman Allan & Janet Ahlberg Penguin UK $20.09
Age: 5 – 8 October 28, 2014 9780141340111